About This Fund
The Mitsui Kinzoku–SBI Material Innovation Fund is a corporate venture capital (CVC) fund jointly established in September 2017 by Mitsui Kinzoku (Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., Ltd.), a leading Japanese manufacturer of non-ferrous metals, functional materials, and advanced materials, and SBI Investment Co., Ltd., the venture capital arm of Japan's SBI Group financial services conglomerate. The inaugural fund launched with JPY 5.0 billion and deployed capital into 11 portfolio companies during its active investment period. A second fund (Fund II) of JPY 5.0 billion was subsequently established to continue the strategic CVC program. SBI Investment serves as fund manager, contributing venture capital expertise and global network access, while Mitsui Kinzoku provides materials science research capabilities and global supply chain relationships.
The fund targets early and growth-stage companies developing breakthrough technologies in materials science and advanced manufacturing that generate direct strategic synergy with Mitsui Kinzoku's global business operations. Core investment focus areas include material manufacturing know-how and advanced processing technologies, environment and energy innovations (including advanced battery materials, renewable energy components, and energy storage), life sciences with materials applications, innovative electronics and semiconductor materials, and information technology including artificial intelligence and augmented reality. The fund is headquartered in Chiba, Japan, and invests in both domestic Japanese startups and international companies with globally relevant materials innovations, conducting approximately two to six transactions annually with deal sizes reflecting early and Series A-stage financing needs.
Notable portfolio investments include Forge Nano Inc., a US-based nanocoating technology company that benefited from the fund's co-investment alongside LG Technology Ventures in its Series A financing round — demonstrating the fund's ability to identify globally relevant materials innovations and participate in international syndicates alongside strategic partners. The fund's thesis reflects the broader trend of Japanese industrial manufacturers using corporate venture capital to access emerging materials and sustainability technologies critical to their long-term supply chain competitiveness, leveraging Mitsui Kinzoku's global manufacturing scale, industry partnerships, and established open innovation platform (M Lab.).